Lisa Murkowski, the Republican Senator for Alaska who was rejected by her own
party, could pull off a remarkable victory after issuing voters with
wristbands so they would know how to spell her name.

Lisa Murkowski organised the first successful 'write-in' campaign for the US Senate since 1954Photo: GETTY

By Nick Allen in Los Angeles

6:57PM GMT 04 Nov 2010

Despite being a sitting Senator, Miss Murkowski was defeated for the Republican nomination by Joe Miller who was backed by the Tea Party and the state's former Governor Sarah Palin.

As a result her name did not appear on ballot papers in the state, but she organised a "write-in" campaign which involved voters filling in her name themselves. There has not been a successful write-in campaign for the US Senate since 1954.

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Verifying the names written in was not due to begin until Nov 18, but after the large number of them became clear officials decided to start on Wednesday. It will take three days. There are also 30,000 absentee ballots to count.

Mr Miller's aides said they remained confident and in previous write-in campaigns up to six per cent of ballots had been rejected.

Both sides have established legal teams ahead of the write-in count. Miss Murkowski has called in Benjamin Ginsberg, who was counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaign during the recount in Florida in the presidential election of 2004.

It had been a bitter campaign in Alaska, with Mrs Palin calling Miss Murkowski's decision to run against Mr Miller "shameful" and suggesting she belonged to the "entitlement party". Miss Murkowski said she wouldn't support a 2012 presidential run by Mrs Palin. She said: "I'm looking for someone that has a breadth of experience.